Photos from the rehearsal room reveal a first look at The Haunting of Hill House, a Wiltshire Creative Production in association with Theatr Clwyd, based on the novel by Shirley Jackson, adapted for the stage by Stef Smith.

Rehearsals for this bold new stage adaptation began in London in July, ahead of its world premiere at Salisbury Playhouse on 11 September. The production will run in Salisbury until 3 October before embarking on a UK tour.

Martin Constantine directs Jasper Britton (Dr. Montague), Jemma Churchill (Mrs Montague), Sian Howard (Mrs Dudley), Sophie Lenglinger (Theo), Robin Morrissey (Luke), and Clancy Ryan (Eleanor).

The cast are preparing to take to the stage as a group of daring investigators taking on the mystery of Hill House – where curiosity quickly descends into fear.

Meanwhile, a brilliant cast of creatives are building a set and soundscape designed to pull you into the heart of a haunted house, full of twists, turns and unsettling illusions, where experiments plunge into darkness and strange disturbances ripple through twisting corridors. As the house tightens its grip, you'll be left on the edge of your seat… and questioning what is real long after the curtain falls.

Director Martin Constantine said: “We want to take the audience right inside the house. We want to feel like they’re walking those corridors, they’re surprised by every slam of the door, by every light that flickers on and off, that they’re right in the centre of it. I think that’s what’s different from directing other productions. Sometimes, the audience are very much set apart from it, but our objective is, as a whole team, to bring everyone into the centre of it.”

Shirley Jackson’s iconic novel is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of supernatural fiction. It was later adapted into the critically acclaimed Netflix series of the same name, introducing a new generation to Jackson’s haunting masterpiece. The Haunting of Hill House now takes to the stage in this gripping new production that blurs the line between heart-thumping suspense and the supernatural.

As grief, desire and the dangerous comfort of belonging seep through every wall, one question lingers: is Hill House haunted… or are we?

The Haunting of Hill House is kindly sponsored by Adam Budd & Co.

Photography by Pamela Raith